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View all search resultsLapindo mudflow embankment leaks, triggering fresh safety concerns
PPLS planning official Arif Firmanto said the breach was largely caused by land subsidence around the northern and western sections of the containment embankment. The subsidence has caused the mudflow to shift predominantly toward those areas, increasing pressure on the embankment.
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An aerial view shows heavy equipment reinforcing and raising the Lapindo mudflow embankment in Siring subdistrict, Porong district, Sidoarjo regency, East Java, on July 10, 2026. The work is intended to strengthen the embankment after a leak developed due to land subsidence and increased pressure from mud in the containment pond. (Antara Foto/Umarul Faruq)
A
n embankment at the Lapindo mudflow site in Sidoarjo, East Java, leaked early on Friday, prompting fresh concerns after water mixed with mud seeped dangerously close to the Porong highway and a busy railway line.
The leak was detected at around 5:15 a.m. on the western side of the embankment in Siring sub-district, where local residents said a breach measuring nearly 2 meters had formed. They also said the mud level had risen to within 25 centimeters of the top of the embankment, raising fears of an overflow.
The Sidoarjo Mudflow Control Center (PPLS) immediately dispatched personnel and heavy equipment after receiving reports of the leak. Crews reinforced the damaged section with soil and mud and raised the height of the embankment in an effort to prevent an overflow.
PPLS planning official Arif Firmanto said the breach was largely caused by land subsidence around the northern and western sections of the containment embankment. The subsidence has caused the mudflow to shift predominantly toward those areas, increasing pressure on the embankment.
"The mud does not flow like water because it contains heavy sediment. The direction of the flow is influenced by land subsidence in the area," Arif said on Monday as quoted by Detik.com.
To reduce pressure on the containment ponds, the PPLS is operating four dredgers to pump mud into the Porong River. Two are stationed at the northern and eastern ponds, while the remaining two operate at Ponds 2 and 5 on the southern side.
"The dredgers channel the mud into the Porong River, allowing us to reduce the volume inside the containment ponds," he said.
